Elastic stitching



Jan. 13, 1931. w. c. KEMP ELASTIC STITCHING Filed Jan. 2'7, 1928 INVENTOR. e22

J ATTORNEYJ' Patented Jan. 13, 1931 UNITED. STATES I PATENT OFFICE wiLLnu: 0. m, or nonwoon, OHIO, assrcuoa TO THE Paras. smwida cesium,

or LOOKLAND, 01:10, A conroaa'rron or OHIO I ELASTIC STITOHING Application filed January 27, 1928. Serial No. 250,045.

It is an object of my invention to form a stitching which will g1ve when the fabric is stretched. There, is. in most fabrics which are ordinarily subjected to'sewing operations a stretchability particularly along lines d1- agonal to .the direction of crossing of the warp and woof threads which is advantageous in most articles made therefrom. But ordinary stitching is inelastic, and the threads forming it reach their elastic hmlt under a very light stretch, whereupon they snap and the stitching is rendered useless.

When the stitching forms part of a seam, the

seam opens up and the utilityof the article is greatly impaired.

M invention is designed to produce a stitching which is not only elastic in itself, but which may be formed under tension of both fabric and stitching so that when it norg0 mally contracts the fabric will be held in a contracted condition, and so that the stitching and fabric can be greatly expanded without throttling, as will hereinafter be more fully explained. It will thus be seen that the effect of my stitching is to increase the permissible give in a stitched fabric without tearing the fabric at the stitches or brealn'ng the stitches, and also that a natural and uniform tucking with full elasticity, is provided.

I accomplish my' object by utilizing elastic filaments in the stitching operation which are held under tension, or in astretched con-- dition during the stitching operation, and by holding the fabric against contraction, or actually expanded-while it is being sewed. Hitherto, in order to effect an elastic gathering of a fabric it has been the practice to sew in it a tubular pocket or casing and run an elastic filament therethrough, or to sew an elastic fabric held under tension to the fabric to be gathered. Further, elastic fabrics have been made by using elastic filaments under tension as part of the warp or woof threads thereof. In my invention, however, I. am concerned with a stitching which is itself elastic, and which is independently applied to a fabric as distinguished from the mere fastening of an elastic fabric to an inelastic one by means of inelastic stitching, or the weaving of an elastic filament'into a fabric as a part of the manufacture thereof. My invention is characterized by the use of elastic filaments in forming the stitching, and while in one embodiment thereof I may use a stitch which would still hold together. were the. elastic filament withdrawn, it will be observed that the filament not only normally tends to contract the fabric but has an'eifect upon the stitching itself making it capable of stretching. Again, while my invention maybe used to produce an elastic gathering in the fabric itself, the tension and elasticity may be so proportioned that the stitching, when normally contracted, will merely herd the fabric in a normally contracted condition, but the stitching itself will have a much greater elastic limit than the natural give or stretch of the fabric.

It has also been-proposed to form an elastic stitching by sewing a rubber thread to a fabric with an over-stitch or by using the rubber filament in astitch in place of an inelastic filament. I do not claim as novel the use of a-rubber thread in a stitch. My invention is directed to the production of an elastic stitching composed of an elastic thread and at least one inelastic thread, which will have unusual amounts of stretch. If a' stitching is made comprising an elastic filament and an inelastic filament the stretch of the stitching will obviously be limited by the inelastic filament. In a stitchin some play is always resent; whenstretchmg oc curs, an elastic lament, such as rubber, may be diminished in cross section, allowing still further play of-the threads; but stretching.

cannot be carried to any great degree before the threads begin to bind, and if stretching is carried beyond this point, they will break. Consequently in the past where an unusual amount of stretch has been required in a stitching, it has been the practice to use filaments all of which were elastic. My invention is applicable to the production of elastic stitching upon fabrics of great stretchability, such as creped paper, used in' the manufacture of tire covers, in accordancewith a patent of William Wallace Rowe, N o.

30 maximum stretchability of the fabric.

1,755,133, dated April 15, 1930, in which the stretching is of the order of say 200% -or thereabouts. 1

My invention contemplates the production of a stitching, which in itsnormal or .contracted condition, possesses the required amount of stretch in the'fabric, in the elastic filament, and in the inelastic filament or filaments. In the roduction of such a stitching, it is not su cient that the elastlcity reside alone in the fabric and in the elastic filament. My invention contemplates the formation'of such a stitching, while the elas tic filament is tensioned, and while the fabric is either tensioned or held against contraction. This procedure produces a stitch ing which when contracted will be characterized by a looseness or play in the inelas-.

tic filament, suflicient to permit the required amountof stretch, together with a much atei' number of stitches per unit length,

as is illustrated in Figure 2, hereinafter spe;

cifically referred to. In the contracted condition of my stitching the fabric. may be puckeredor not, depending upon the degree 'of tension placed upon it during stitching with relation to the degree of tension placed upon the elastic filament; but in any event, no fiater'stretchability is required in a stitc g thausufiicient to take care of the Neglecting the complex stitching used in machine embroidery and the like, stitching generally falls within four general types. The first is a running stitch in which the a thread and needle pass through the fabric from side to side forming such a stitch as isused in basting. One or more threads -may be used; The second is the so-called' chain stitch, in which a threaded needle pierces a'fab'ric and is withdrawn leavin a loop of thread upon the reverse side, an

each loop so formed is caused to encircle the next succeeding loop. The third isa type in which the needle forms a fair line of stitches upon one sideof the fabric and loops-on the reverse, the loops being intertwin'ed'with one or more other threads on the said reverse side of the fabric. The fourth is the well known lock stitch.

The thirdtype of stitch lends itself best to my invention. The rubber may be used upon. a bobbin or reel and the tension adequately controlled. The stitch may be so arranged that the rubber does not penetrate the fabric, but is held to its reverse side by the loops, While the whole stitching is rendered'elastic thereby. I

In the drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention.

1 shows the stitching and the fabric expanded, and illustrates its appearance when formed.

Figure 2 shows the stitching contracted in a case where the tension and elasticity have been proportioned so as to cause a perceptible gathering of the fabric.

Both drawings are upon an enlargedscale. In Figure 1 I have indicated 'a fabric 1 j represented as being under tension, and

which may be understood as of one layer, or composite, -or of more than one layer as in a seam orplait, a thread 2, and an elastic filament 3 which is represented here as under tension. The-thread passes through the hole a formed by the needle in the fabric, passes over the filament, as at 6, under it as at 0, around the next succeeding loop at d beneath and overthe filament 3, around and beneath the next succeeding loop at e,

and back at f to pass again through the hole a. This is a type of stitching easily effected upon a sewing machine.- It will be observed 'that'in this type of stitch the withdrawal of the filament 3 would leave merely a series of loops which would not of themselves form a stitch. The filament is therefore a keying ,member,an-inseparable part of the stitching.

When the tension upon the fabric 1 and the filament 3 is released, the filament contracts'and thickens as shown in- Figure 2.

If the stitching has been done under sufiicient tension, the material 1 may be puckered or gathered as at g or at'i. This loosens the threads particularly in the running portions f and h thereof with the result of making the stitched portions expandible, and also for the purpose of loosening the encircling loops which bind the filament to accommodate the thickening thereof.

The form of stitching illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is a standard stitching,

effected by a standard sewing machine,

which is well known and needs no descriptlonby me. .In ordinary use the filament 3 e is inelastic thread, the same as the filament 2. In the practice of my invention the 'fila ment is, as explained, an elastic filament,

operator manually. olds back on the crepedpaper, thereby stretching it to some extent. The amount of stretch placed in the fabric will be proportioned to the' amount of stretch desired in the finishedstitching' As hereinbefore indicated it may be so proportioned that when the normally contracted, the fabric will held in a normally lmexpanded condition, or in a specifications for stitches.

l0 that such a stitching in contracted and puckered condition, as is shown at 1 in Figure 2. It"is essential, however, that the stitchin be so produced as to-cause contraction 0 the fabric after the stitching is formed, whether that contraction be to its normal condition or to a puckered condition. It is not suflicient merely to fastena rubber filament to a fabric by a stitching, which stitchin will be tight when normally contracted, or the reason s ite of the fact that it contains. an elastic filament, will not stretch very appreciably until the threads begin to bind or. throttle the rubber, whereupon further stretching is impossible short of the breaking of the threads.

The specific stitch shown is a modified form of the so-called two thread or double chain stitch, which is stitch No. 401 of class 4.00 of the United States Government master In this stitch normally the needle thread makes tight loops upon the reverse side of the fabric which loops are passed through a loop of the looper thread extended from the last preceding stitch. The. succeeding loop of looper thread is then passed through the loop of the needle thread and is extended one stitch length, at which point it is entered by the next succeeding loop of the needle thread. 'In this articular stitch as in the other stitches of (Sass 400, the looper thread passes back and forth between the loopsof the needle thread and is intertwined therebetween as explained. This results normal-- ly in very much more looper thread being used than needle thread. In making no stitch, a rubber filament is substituted for the looper thread or looper threads as may be. It is used under tension and its effect is to pull out the loops of needle thread to "a quite abnormal length as shown. Since the looper thread is intertwined between loops, the straightening of the looper thread results in an interengagement of loops of the needle thread and an intertwining thereof about the looper thread,the rubber piece 3. In the specific stitch shown, if the rubber filament 3 were removed, there would remain nota lock stitch but a series of loops of needle thread on the reverse side of the fabric of much greater than normal length. This extension of the loops of the needle thread contributes to the great stretchability of my sewn fabric. If the loops of needle thread were short as normally is the case in stitch type 401 illustrated, and the other stitches of class 400, the stretchability of the sewn fabric would be limited'by the length of the needle thread. In my stitch there is sufiicient stretchability in the rubber filament, and the-needle thread is abnormallv lengthened so that it will not break before t e maximum stretchability of the fabric is realized.

It will be understood that my stitching is applicable to a wide variety of fabrics, both elastic and inelastic, and plain or creped. It isapplicable to woven fabrics such as cloth, membranous fabrics, such as leather and the like, and felted fabrics such as paper. It is particularly'adapted. for the fabrication of articles from'the creped and waterproofed, material. described in Patent N o. 1,628,515,- of May 10,;1927.,H-It will be further understood that wherein the following claims I have used the'word f fabric I intend to include a fabric of one or more layers, a seam or a plait. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1-. An elastic stitching having a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising, in an expansible fabric, a .fair "line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of said fabric formed of said thread, each of said loops passing over and beneath said elastic filament which is substantially straight, and each succeeding loop passing through a bend of each preceding loop between said filament and said fabric, said filament is encircled b 2. An elastic stitching and an elastic-filament, and coinprising, in an expansible fabric, a fair line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of said fabric formed of said thread, each of said loops formed by the said thread passing .through said fabric over said filasaid loops.

ment, between said filament and said fabric, y then around the next succeeding loop, then between said filament and said fabric, then over said filament, again around said next succeeding loop and again through said fabric, whereby said loops engage each other as described, and whereby said filament is encircled by said loops.

3. An elastic stitching having a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising, in a puckered fabric, a fair line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of said fabric formed of said thread, each ofsaid loops passing over and beneath said elastic filament which is substantially "straight, and each succeeding loop passing throu h a bend: of each preceding loop, where loops.

4. An elastic stitching having a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising, in a puckered fabric, a fair line of stitches whereby aving a thread y said filament is encircled by said upon one side and loops upon the reverse whereby said filament is encircled by said loops, said loops of thread being loose about said filament. a

5. An elastic stitching having a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising, in an expansible fabric a fair line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of; saidfabric formed of said thread, each of said loops encircling said filament and engaging with the next succeeding whereby the length of thread in sai loops is at least suflicient to encircle said filament plus sufiicient to extend to an adjacent loop.

6. An elastic stitching having a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising, in

an expansible fabric, a fair line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of said fabric formed of said thread,

both strands of each of said loops passing over and beneath said elastic filament, and each of said loops being secured to a succeeding loop. a

As a new article of manufacture, a piece of crepe paper having constricting means in the form of an elastic stitching, said elastic-stitching consisting of a thread and an elastic filament, and comprising a fair line of stitches upon one side and loops upon the reverse side of said fabric formed said thread, said fabric being in puckered condition, each of said loops passing over and beneath said elastic filament which is substantially straight, and each succeeding loop passin ing loop, w ereby said filament is encircled by said loops.

. WILLIAM G. KEMP.

through a bend of each prcced- 

